Using Everyday Mundane Routines as Creative Inspiration

I share a TON of fun photos on Instagram of all the things I cook, because I love cooking. I’m not the kind of gal to ever even want to appear on Food Network – but cooking is one of the many ways I keep myself inspired to create. It helps that I enjoy it and that I’m pretty good at it, too. 🙂

Today a friend on Facebook shared this amazing video of whipped egg whites baked with the yolks – called Eggs in Clouds. My first try wasn’t quite so pretty, but they sure are delish:

While it may seem silly or inane to blog about my lunch of two somewhat unremarkable eggs, the point isn’t that I made eggs for lunch. The point is that I tackled a recipe that was new to me, fun to make, and beautiful to view on the plate. That fuels my creativity. Bonus points for taking less than 15 minutes, it was a break in my day in front of the computer, and I was inspired by the beautiful presentation of someone else’s artful cooking.

The larger point I’m trying to make is that there are many ways to fuel your creativity in daily, sometimes mundane tasks. Cleaning doesn’t qualify as one of those tasks for me (sadly), but having a clean house DOES. Gardening is work to some people, a living art canvas to others. I have a friend who loves doing laundry so much she offered to do mine when we had a power outage (for real).

Sometimes I need to give my brain a break from work in order to let it process work problems without my “help”. I’ve gotten some of my best business or art ideas while in the kitchen, in the shower, or just cleaning the floor. If I try too hard to force the creative process, it freezes up. Focusing on something relaxing and mundane frees my brain from the expectations to be “brilliant”, and then usually comes up with solutions that I wasn’t able to tap into when I was trying to make things work.

So how can you tap into this way of making your chores work for you, rather than you working on your chores?

Live your daily life mindfully.
Be present to the process of what you’re doing, whatever you’re doing.

Notice when you’re pushing yourself too hard.
Force yourself to take breaks to get a fresh perspective or approach.

Do more of what you enjoy.
It’s a great way to honor your gifts and will always contribute to a happier mood.

Give your mind permission to wander.
There’s nothing like putting unrealistically high expectations on yourself to kill off your creativity.

Recognize the creative process in everything.Artists are born to create – expand the definition of ‘creation’ from just creating beautiful things to creating a beautiful life.